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Environmental Health Services

EH provides an array of services to residents, businesses, vistors, and employees of the City of Alexandria through programs designed to prevent infectious and non-infectious foodborne and waterborne diseases and disabilities. It also strives to promote health, protect the environment, and eliminate unsanitary and unsafe conditions and public nuisances.

Concerns & Complaints

The Division of Environmental Health only investigates complaints of poor sanitation at establishments it permits. This can include restaurants, groceries, pools, hotel/motels, childcare centers food service, etc. The EH Division can provide guidance on certain vector or indoor air quality problems such as bed bugs, mosquitoes, mold or mildew growth in a home/apartment, smoking in public facilities, etc.

For concerns in other counties, contact the local health department in that jurisdiction. You can use the US Postal Service's webpage (http://zip4.usps.com/zip4/welcome.jsp) to assist you determining what county an address resides.

Publications, Reports, Etc.

Request a Public Record

Public records are available through the City Attorney's Office by filing a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request at alexandriava.gov/FOIA. The public records frequently requested from our office are available below in PDF format.

Respiratory Health & Indoor Air Environments

For more information about respiratory health, indoor air environments, or hazardous substances, visit the Health Department's Respiratory Health website alexandriava.gov/11622. Some of our most common questions related to these issues are listed below.

Lead

For information about lead, lead exposure, renovating old buildings, etc., please visit the Environmental Protection Agency's website at www.epa.gov/lead or telephone the National Lead Hotline at 800.424.LEAD (5323). The Virginia Department of Health's Lead-Safe Virginia Program also provides a number of resources on its website (www.vahealth.org/leadsafe/index.htm), including recent lead recalls, brochures, and links to high risk area codes. This program can be reached by phone at 804.864.7694.

The state agency that regulates individuals who are licensed lead inspectors/risk assessors and contractors is the Virginia Department of Professional and Occupational Regulation. You can go online to www.dpor.virginia.gov and search their database for inspectors and contractors in your locality who are licensed to perform work with lead hazards.Directions to Find Licensed Individuals for Lead:

Click on License Look Up on the main web page

There you may put in your zip code and search by Zip Code

Scroll to the bottom of the page and make sure you check mark Lead Contractors/Lead Individuals

Click on Search for Licenses

Unfortunately DPOR does not list phone numbers, so once you have the names of the individuals you can use a browser search or call information for their phone numbers

Finally, if you are concerned that you child may have lead poisoning, contact your child's physician immediately; additional information can be obtained by calling the child health extension at 703.746.4996, but your child's physician should be consulted first. In certain instances, the Division of Environmental Health will perform a full environmental evaluation with sampling; this is typically after the Health Department has received two laboratory confirmed elevated lead results. In general, however, our office does not perform lead testing.

Mercury

For basic information about mercury, visit the US Environmental Protection Agency's website at www.epa.gov/mercury. For information about disposing of mercury thermometers or other mercury instruments in the city, visit the Solid Waste Division's Household Hazardous Waste & Electronics Recycling website at alexandriava.gov/19206.

If you are concerned about elevated mercury levels in yours or your child's blood, please contact your or your child's physician. The Alexandria Health Department does not test for mercury.

Mold / Mildew

The Health Department does not offer testing services for mold or mildew; these services will need to be obtained from a commercial business. For basic information on mold, visit the:

The Division of Environmental Health can provide basic information about mold, but cannot provide medical advice or compel a property owner to take any specific action. The Landlord/Tennant Relations Board can help with Complaint Mediation if you have a disbute with your landlord; call (703) 746-4990 or click here for more information. If you are a renter who is in a disbute with your landlord, and you feel as if the conditions in your lease are being violated, you may want to consult a lawyer. Visit the Virginia State Bar's referral service on how to find a lawyer licensed in Virginia. Their website is www.vsb.org/vlrs/ and will give some basic information on cost and expectations.

Vector-Borne Illness Program

The Vector Borne Illness Program addresses, mitigates and responds to complaints about a variety of vectors, insects or other pests. This program also helps coordinate the Health Department response to any possible rabies exposure due to animal bites.

Animal Bites / Rabies

Individuals suspecting an animal to be infected rabies are warned not to approach it, and are asked to call the Animal Welfare League of Alexandria, Animal Control at 703.746.4774, M-F 8 am to 5 pm. Callers unable to reach Animal Control during normal business hours can call the Alexandria Police Department's non-emergency number at 703.838.4444.

For questions about rabies or animal bites, visit our website at alexandriava.gov/Rabies or call 703.746.4910. The Animal Welfare League of Alexandria also provides general information about rabies at their website alexandriava.gov/Pets.

Bed Bugs

Review the Vector Borne Illness Prevention Program's bed bug webpage at alexandriava.gov/BedBugs for more information bed bugs. To make a complaint or alert us of a concern about a bed bugs in the city, call 703.746.4910 for assistance.

Mosquitoes

Review the Vector Borne Illness Prevention Program's mosquito webpage at alexandriava.gov/MosquitoControl for more information on mosquitos. To submit a complaint about a mosquito problem or if you know of a low-lying area that holds standing water, call 703.746.4910 so we can survey the area for mosquito breeding.

Roaches

To submit a complaint about roach activity in a restaurant, grocery store, or hotel, contact the Health Department at 703.746.4910. Forward all other roach complaints to the City's Office of Code Administration at 703.746.4200.

Rodents (Rats/Mice)

To submit a complaint about rodent activity in a restaurant, hotel, or grocery store, contact the Health Department at 703.746.4910. Please submit all other rodent complaints to the City's Rodent Control Program at alexandriava.gov/5382. Additional information on rodent control and prevention can be found atwww.cdc.gov/rodents/.

Ticks

Review the Vector Borne Illness Program's tick webpage at www.alexandriava.gov/Ticks for more information about ticks, diseases carried by ticks, and how to prevent tick bites.

West Nile Virus (WNV)

The following agencies offer general information about WNV, including what it is, how you can contract the virus, and what steps we are taking to prevent the spread of WNV.

Marinas

About Us

The Division of Environmental Health Services is located on the third floor of the Health Department's main facility, located at 4480 King Street, Alexandria, VA, 22302. Our normal business hours are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and Thursday, 12:45 to 4:30 pm, excluding all state holidays. Our phone number is 703.746.4910, and our fax number is 703.746.4919.

Mission

The mission of the Environmental Health Division is to prevent disease and promote healthy environments for the Alexandria community by consistently providing professional, timely, and technically excellent environmental health services and by educating and empowering others to improve our city's health and environment.